"Grounds for Optimism":
The capacity for humans to be adaptable and
The capacity to change things in our environment.
Adaptability and change capabilities give humans the reason they can be optimistic about the future.
For adaptability, there are two primary components:
The capacity humans have to change things in our environment to suit our needs. Some things there are components in our environment that do not act positively to help us achieve our goals. Therefore we can look at ways of adapting these things. Of changing them, so they better suit our requirements.
We adapt ourselves first. Therefore we need to change ourselves.
Over the last few years, there have been many examples of how humans can adapt. Airlines stopped flying, and fleets were mothballed in the world's desserts. Lockdowns occurred, and people stayed at home. It was about survival, but it also demonstrated how adaptable people could be.
Humans can exist in a wide range of environments on earth and space or on other planets.
A lot of people have difficulty with adaptability. They pay a heavy price. The problem is evident in the increased incidence of mental illness that has come out of the pandemic.
Humans change their environment and circumstances simultaneously so that the personal and community situation is constantly improving. Some of these changes could include sealing roads with bitumen, installing air conditioners, changing personal relationships and changing work environments.
Adaptability capabilities vary between people. It's related to change fitness.
The limitation of human adaptability seems to be limited to the laws of nature. However, most possible changes are determined because humans have not worked out how to do it yet.
Don't be restricted by what you don't know. Learning is a constant requirement, and unknowns can be worked out.
Change is constant, and sitting still is not an option. Change may not be a conscious thing often, it is subconscious.
We are unlikely to make progress if there is not a problem to be solved. Testing theories is an everyday occurrence. Sharing and collaborating on problem-solving and ideas is always richer than done in isolation or on own.
Collaborating on ideas is more likely to give an executable outcome or solution momentum.
Incremental change: car tires or an engine tune-up
Transformational change: a new car.
There are a lot of grounds to be optimistic. Suppose an individual is in a dire situation and has the capacity and ability to adapt. With this capability, a change process is put in place. It can be iterative or transformative change. Optimistic individuals must be able to work through a problem and put in place the required solutions in a work environment or a personal life.
The grounds for optimism are not that we know everything already but that we can learn it. The willingness and ability to learn new things.